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LeBron James and the LA Lakers ended their five-game losing streak with a win against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night at Toyota Center. James put the game away with about a minute left, throwing down an emphatic dunk over Christian Wood.
As the Lakers were leading by six points with 1:24 left in the game, Russell Westbrook drove to the basket and drew two defenders. Westbrook then made a nice pass to a cutting LeBron, who posterized the 6-foot-10 wood. You can watch the dunk on the video below.
The dunk basically put the Rockets away as LeBron James let out a roar in celebration. The win was their first since December 15th, when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks. Austin Reaves hit the game-winning three-point shot in that victory.
James led the Lakers to a 132-123 win with his 102nd career triple-double. He finished the game with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Westbrook also recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, the 192nd of his career. This marks just the 13th time in the NBA's 75-year history that teammates have recorded a triple-double in the same game.
Carmelo Anthony was huge off the bench with 24 points and nine rebounds. Malik Monk, who got a spot start with all the injuries and players in protocol for the Lakers, had 25 points, two rebounds and two assists. Avery Bradley returned after 10 days in isolation to score 14 points in 31 minutes.
Tough schedule for LeBron James and the Lakers for the rest of the season
With their 132-123 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, LeBron James and the LA Lakers now sport a 17-18 record before heading to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Wednesday.
It's good news for Lakers fans that they won, but the Rockets are one of the worst teams in the NBA. In fact, they have the third-worst record in the league and at some point were on a 15-game losing streak earlier this season. The Lakers were not able to easily handle the Rockets, only pulling away in the final minute of the game.
It will only get tougher for LeBron James and the Lakers heading into next year and the rest of the season. They have one of the toughest schedules in the league after Christmas. According to Tankathon, the Lakers have the second-hardest schedule in the league behind the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Lakers will have to face the Golden State Warriors three more times, the Phoenix Suns twice, the Utah Jazz three times, a healthier Brooklyn Nets once, and the Miami Heat and Bucks one more time.
It's also worth noting that LeBron James and the Lakers had one of the easiest schedules before Christmas, but they're still not above .500 heading into Wednesday's matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.
